A need exists for a cost efficient method to measure and follow the shape of the heads of infants. Measuring head or cranial shape has been a mainstay in the treatment of cranial synostosis for decades, but with the increasing prevalence of positional plagiocephaly it has become a major reason for referral to neurosurgical clinics by pediatricians and by parents. Conditions of the head such as sagittal synostosis resulting in a long and narrow head, can be suspected or even diagnosed on the basis of cranial measurements, as can the situations of flattening of the back or asymmetrical flattening of the head related to the position in which a baby sleeps. Orthotic devices are often used to treat the conditions which do not actually require surgery, and the ability to make inexpensive and repeated measurements would be useful in evaluating the need for treatment of a particular patient as well as the response to treatment of any individual patient, and the effectiveness of any particular therapeutic intervention.
Traditionally, measurements of cranial shape have been made either on radiographs which require radiation exposure, or with the use of large calipers which require the points of the calipers to be placed at particular locations on a infant's head. This introduces significant operator dependency on the accuracy of the measurement, and purchase of the calipers has limited their use generally to highly-skilled neurosurgeons and others who see a large number of these cases.
Furthermore, diagnosis of cranial abnormalities and/or diseases are often made on physical exam by clinicians without quantifying the shape of the outer contour of the subject's head. This makes it difficult for the clinician to accurately diagnose a cranial disease and/or abnormality and makes it difficult for the clinician and/or parents to track the progression or regression of a particular subject's cranial disease and/or abnormality.